Food Security: Rice farmers lose millions of Naira to devastating floods in Kebbi

*Hundreds of farmers in Yauri, Ngaski, and Shanga Local Government Areas of Kebbi State, North-West Nigeria, appeal to the Kebbi State Government for support, following a downpour that destroyed all their rice farms, losing produce estimated to be worth millions of Naira

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

Hundreds of farmers have lost their produce, estimated to be worth millions of Naira, to devastating floods that ravaged their farmlands.

It was gathered rice farmers in Yauri, Ngaski, and Shanga Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Kebbi State, North-West Nigeria, had appealed to the Kebbi State Government for support, following a downpour from the River Niger, which destroyed all their rice farms recently.

The farmers also lamented that the situation has left them in a critical condition, as many rice farmers had invested heavily with the hope of a good harvest. That hope is now in jeopardy, Channels TV report said.

Shuaibu Gidanbindigawa, one of the affected farmers, described the situation as strange and unprecedented.

Gidanbindigawa reportedly said: “The water from the River Niger first took over our farms, and now the rains have washed away everything.

“God has brought this challenge, and we have already lost everything. For the farmers of Shanga, Yauri, and Ngaski, all I can say is, may God intervene in our situation.”

The farmer also made a passionate appeal to political leaders to take urgent action.

He pleaded: “I’m calling on our politicians to come to our aid. Some farmers who used to harvest over 100 bags of rice now have nothing. The water has taken over everything.”

“This is not about coming to sympathise with us; we need real support. Some of us invested all our wealth in these farms. Please, Governor, your people are in desperate need of help.”

Yauri, Ngaski, and Shanga are among the key rice-producing areas in Kebbi State and have been major contributors to the state’s rice value chain.

The flood has now put their livelihoods and food production in serious jeopardy, according to report.